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Court told of 'advice
by expert'
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Portuguese detectives made the McCanns
suspects in Madeleine's disappearance after taking advice
from British police, it was claimed yesterday. |
Cracker-style profiler
Lee Rainbow
- who worked on the Ipswich
Ripper and Shannon Matthews cases - said officers should consider their
possible involvement in the case, a court was told.
The National Policing Improvement Agency ( NPIA) expert wrote a
report to Algarve police chiefs giving advice.
Details of the confidential report emerged during the final day
of a libel trial involving former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral,
who led the Madeleine investigation.
Amaral is trying to overturn a worldwide injunction banning the
publication of his book Maddie: The Truth of the Lie. In it he claims
Kate and Gerry were involved in Madeleine's death and staged her
disappearance. His lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, told the court that Rainbow
wrote: "It was Madeleine's father who was the last one to see her alive.
"The family is a lead that should be followed.
The contradictions in Gerald McCann's statements might lead us to
suspect a homicide."
Cabrita added: "This report has never been published before but is part
of the investigation. On June 1st 2007 British police had the theory
that Madeleine could be dead and the family could be involved.
"It was British police who said they must consider not only abduction
but homicide as well."
The NPIA provided a checklist of what should be done, advising the
Portuguese police to include the McCanns in their inquiry and take new
forensics at their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.
Last night an NPIA spokesman said: "In disappearance cases it is common
for the NPIA to advise investigating officers to consider the
possibility of the involvement of family and close friends. The NPIA
gave similar generic advice to the Portuguese police in the Madeleine
McCann case."
Kate and Gerry launched criminal proceedings against Portuguese TV
station TVI yesterday for repeating Amaral's claims that Madeleine is
dead. A ruling in Amaral's libel case is due to be made on February 18. |
